A Texas-based sales agent for an aviation business was sentenced in February to a year and a day in federal prison for a plot to bribe Mexican officials in exchange for airplane maintenance contracts.

Victor Hugo Valdez Pinon, 54, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty on October 26 last year to conspiracy to violate the FCPA and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Judge Alfred Bennett in Houston also ordered Pinon to serve two years of supervised release after his prison term and to pay restitution of about $90,000.

The judge also signed a forfeiture order against Pinon for $250,000.

Three other businessmen in the case have admitted bribing Mexican officials to win work for Hunt Pan Am Aviation. The Brownsville, Texas-based company has operated under new ownership since 2010, according to its website.

Two of the businessmen -- Daniel Perez, 69, and Kamta Ramnarine, 69 -- were sentenced to three years’ probation on February 2. Both had pleaded guilty in November last year to conspiracy to violate the FCPA.

And two former Mexican officials who took bribes have pleaded guilty to a money-laundering conspiracy. One of them -- Ramiro Ascencio Nevarez, 58 -- was sentenced to 15 months in prison on May 27, 2016.

Reader Comments (2)

Dear Richard,

thanks, important message, but in times of populism I would suggest to change the headline to "Texas-based sales agent jailed for FCPA conspiracy", as the citizenship is not relevant. Texas has many US-citizens, which speak perfectly Spanish and know Mexico too.

That is one reading. However, another reading is that FCPA does apply to non-US citizens. I have seen foreigners who think that they comply with the statute not because it applies to them, but so I do not get in trouble. This new development should give them pause.